Quote of the day!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

CAIR Comes Out Against California Assembly Resolution on Campus Anti-Semitism

The Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which advertises itself as the moderate voice of American Muslims and defender of their rights, is a creation of the Muslim Brotherhood going back to the 1990s. They are also an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation trial in Dallas involving Muslim charities funneling money to designated terrorist organizations in the Middle East.Now they have joined the fray over the University of California report issued by the Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Exclusion, which outlines problems of anti-Semitism within the University campus system and makes specific recommendations to UC President Mark Yudof. Just this week, I posted a petition created by Stand With Us to President Yudof urging him to accept the report and implement the recommendations. This is in the face of a counter-petition by the anti-Israel Jewish Voice for Peace asking Yudof to deep-six the report.At this point, the California State Assembly has just passed a resolution (Resolution 35), which refers to the report and calls on California campuses to address problems of anti-Semitism.http://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/hr_35_bill_20120823_amended_asm_v98.pdfNow CAIR has lent its voice against the resolution. Shameful. Below is CAIR's statement.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Subject: CAIR Says Assembly Resolution Stifles Discussion on California CampusesSent: Aug 29, 2012 12:47

(SACRAMENTO, CA, 8/29/12) -- The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), along with nine community, legal, and student organizations, sent a letter to lawmakers in the state about House Resolution 35, which passed in the California Assembly yesterday, because it stifles robust political debate on university campuses. The letter urges lawmakers to reconsider the issue when they reconvene in January.

CAIR: Calif Lawmakers Denounce Anti-Semitism in Colleges (AP)

HR 35 calls upon California college campuses to adopt the recommendations in the Report on Campus Climate for Jewish students, which has been subjected to widespread criticism for its potential threat to students' civil rights.

Text of HR 35Letter to lawmakers

The letter states in part: "Though cloaked as a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, the actual goal of HR 35 is to stifle geopolitical debates in academic and university settings. Nobody should hesitate to condemn anti-Jewish expression no matter the context in which it arises. But this resolution characterizes criticism of Israel generally as "cloaked" anti-Semitism. By HR 35's logic, Presidents Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, and George H. W. Bush, and organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are all anti-Semitic because they have at times criticized Israeli policies. This politically motivated definition of anti-Semitism lacks any basis and does a tremendous disservice to the fight against real anti-Semitism. It is no more anti-Semitic to criticize Israel than it is anti-Muslim to criticize Saudi Arabia."

SEE: Human Rights Advocacy is Not Hate Speech

U.C. report on Jewish campus climate: Results marginalize, misrepresent students critical of Israel UC report on anti-Semitism draws ireCAIR-Sacramento's Civil Rights Coordinator Rachel Roberts said: "This resolution will do nothing to stop anti-Semitism, but it will stop the discussions college students must be allowed to have to analyze and form opinions on international issues."

HR 35 was passed in less than one month's time, while California students were out of session for the summer. "Lawmakers were not given a full picture of the complexities of this issue and voted thinking they were merely condemning anti-Semitism," said CAIR-LA Government Relations Coordinator Adel Syed. "Since the legislature is so busy, it is easy to miss the enormous constitutional problems with resolutions like HR 35."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Cecilia Peralta Membership &amp; Administrative Coordinator Arefa SimjeeMembership SpecialistAdel SyedGovernment Relations Coordinator Munira SyedaCommunications Manager----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How interesting that CAIR takes this position because it stifles the debate against Israel-even though neither the UC report nor the resolution mentions Muslims, Muslim students, or the Muslim Student Associations. One might surmise CAIR has a guilty conscience.The fact of the matter is that there is no suppression of anti-Israel rhetoric on UC campuse. It is flourishing. On the contrary, it is pro-Israel speech that is rarely heard. Therein lies the problem: Many Jewish students who have chosen to speak up for Israel have found themselves insulted, spat upon, had cameras shoved in their faces, loaded shopping carts rammed into them from behind, and been subject to intimidation. If it were Muslim students who were enduring this treatment (which they are not), CAIR would be filing lawsuits right and left.The people at CAIR are not only blatant hypocrites, they are giving their blessing to anti-Jewish harassment on college campuses.